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Detroit Medical Center (DMC) will host a live surgery via the social media platform, Twitter on Monday, November 23, 2009, beginning at 11:00AM EST.

Tweeps can follow the innovative Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure and ask questions in real-time during the hour and a half surgical session.

Surgery assistants and DMC staff members will serve as commentators as Philip Schmitt, D.O., an orthopedic surgeon at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, will perform the operation.

Monday’s Tweetcast will feature general narration on the procedure, related facts about arthritis, frequently asked questions and real-time visuals at crucial moments throughout the procedure. This live Orthopedic procedure is believed to be one of the first to be done on Twitter.

The DMC is an active social media citizen with a presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a number of other online platforms. Monday’s live Twitter event is one of a series of live discussions and procedures regularly hosted by the hospital system.

The Birmingham Hip™ Resurfacing procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 and has many advantages over total hip replacement. Philip Schmitt, D.O., an orthopedic surgeon at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, was the first doctor in Michigan to perform Birmingham Hip Resurfacing. He trained in the bone-saving procedure in Birmingham, England, where it originated.

In order to follow the feed, you will have to search the #DMCdocChat meta tag on Twitter or follow Detroit Medical Center’s Twitter account @DMC_Heals. For more information on Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, visit http://www.hvsh.org/bhr.